Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
The Edo State Government is seeking buyers for Edo House, the Edo State Government Liaison Office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
It was learnt that plans to dispose of the property at 1225 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, have reached an advanced stage.
The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, while confirming the government’s decision to dispose of the liaison office, said: “Yes, we just have a building; we are losing money.”
He explained that the state government is spending substantial resources to maintain Edo House, a structure which, he said, has depreciated over time without generating revenue, as the immediate past administration had collected rents on the property upfront for many years.
“Even rent, we are not collecting. So, we will sell it and use the proceeds to build an International Conference Centre at the Garrick Memorial School grounds in Benin City.”
Afegbua further explained that disposing of the liaison office in Lagos “will serve Edo people more as the proposed International Conference Centre will provide employment for the people of the state and generate money for Government”.
The move to sell the property is, however, generating anxiety among Edo stakeholders, who insist the building represents far more than a government office.
Some have warned that disposing of the property would amount to sacrificing a priceless historical asset for short-term financial gain.
Regarded by many as a symbol of the state’s identity, Edo House, built during the administration of the late Brig. Samuel Ogbemudia when the defunct Bendel State was under military rule, stands as a monument to one of the state’s most celebrated leaders and a lasting reminder of Bendel’s legacy.
It will be recalled that former governors Adams Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki were, at different times, associated with plans to sell the building, but those efforts did not succeed following resistance from prominent Edo leaders and civil society groups.
The latest development has now placed Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration under intense scrutiny, with critics urging the government to preserve what they describe as one of Edo State’s most strategic public assets outside the state.
In May, a former Managing Director of the Edo Development and Property Agency, Dr Pedro Obaseki, urged Governor Okpebholo not to dispose of the property, describing Edo House as “a historic public inheritance” that belongs to generations of Edo people rather than any government in office.
Reacting to those opposed to the sale of the liaison office in Lagos, Afegbua alleged that they were among those who benefited from the old order.
